Legacy Disowned - Book 1

Chapter 13 - Courage

Ominis was relaxing on the cool stone floor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Tower. The lighthearted melodies that Darling had taught the string quartet resonated through the space, filling him with a sense of content that had been rare since Anne's accident.

He suddenly caught the hint of lilac on the air and then impossibly light footfalls announced that Darling herself was nearby. Ominis was just about to call out to her when someone beat him to it.

"Uh..M-Miss Darling..."

Ominis pricked his ears as he heard the trembling voice of Duncan Hobhouse. What could a fopdoodle like Duncan want with Darling.

"What's goin on?" Darling replied, her voice lilting with curiosity.

"Well," Duncan began hesitantly, "a few days ago, we covered boggarts in Professor Hecat's class... And... Um... my boggart took the form of... a puffskin."

Ominis had to press his lips together to prevent him from laughing out loud.

"Wait, seriously?" Darling said giggling openly. "That's hilarious!"

"I-I had a rather unpleasant experience once!" Duncan grumbled defensively. "Not something my nasal cavity will soon forget..."

"Yum." Darling teased.

"Anyway...." Duncan went on pointedly. "Ever since then, everyone's been making fun of me. They're calling me a coward... Everett's even gave me the nickname 'Puffskin Dunkin.'"

"Okay, okay," Darling managed to choke out between snickers. "So, what do you want me to do about it?"

Ominis heard Duncan sheepishly scuff his boots along the marble floor as he continued, "I heard you taking on that troll in Hogsmeade. I was hoping... well... maybe you'd have the courage to go into the lost herbology corridor."

"Lost herbology corridor?" Darling asked curiously. "I'll admit that does sound intriguing, but how does that help you?"

"Well er," Duncan mumbled softly. "I-I hoped maybe you could retrieve me something to show everyone that I'm not a coward."

Ominis listened to the conversation with a mixture of disbelief and amusement. Really? It was unspeakably pathetic.

"Or, you know..." Darling began, her voice full of mischief, "I could take you with me so you can face your fears like a big boy?"

"Wait, what?" Duncan said, alarmed. Clearly this had not been part of his plan.

"Come on, it'll be an adventure!" Darling exclaimed musically. There was a rustle of fabric as she dragged him away, still stammering incoherent protests. Ominis allowed himself a chuckle as he listened to poor sod's flustered voice fade into the distance.

A moment later, he recognized Sebastian's familiar steps make there way over. "What's so funny?" he asked, curiosly.

"Duncan Hobhouse just made the foolish mistake of asking our Darling for help," Ominis said wryly before recounting the entirety of the hilarious conversation he'd just heard for his friend.

"That girl is something else," Sebastian laughed, and Ominis did not miss the obvious fondness in his voice

His laughter subsided, and his tone turned serious. "You know, if Duncan's class just did boggarts, then ours will probably have to deal with them soon too."

Ominis frowned, realising the implications. Both he and Sebastian had fears that would be disturbing, to say the least, for their classmates to witness. The mere thought of Sebastian's boggart taking the form of a lifeless Anne sent a wave of pain through Ominis, and he wouldn't even be able to 'see' it. Not to mention... He had to shake his head to dispel the ghosts of the familiar little girl's screams that had begun echoing through his mind.